


Enough

by Icypearls



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 17:36:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9835073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icypearls/pseuds/Icypearls
Summary: Pearl can't bring herself to confront Rose about how she feels.





	

Pearl paced the cave. Rose was gone again. With him. Ever since that dance, ever since they had tried to fuse, things had been different. Pearl had tried everything. Rose got distracted with humans, it was what she did. Pearl knew that, and she knew just how to make them go away. This one was defying all her efforts. She sat, slumped against the wall. 

Of course Rose would be more interested in a human than Pearl. It made sense, if she really thought about it. She had known Pearl for so long. This human sang for her. Pearl could sing, too, but maybe Rose was tiring of her way of singing. Of her voice.

Of her.

She pulled her knees to her chest and wraped her arms around her legs. None of this was right. None of this was how it should have been. He was nothing, a trinket. Usually humans realized Rose was just playing with them and left by now, but he was still here. He had wasted nearly three years of his short, insignificant life chasing after her. 

Though, was it really chasing if Rose was allowing herself to be caught? Pearl’s gem thumped against her knees, her hands gripping tight together against her legs. Maybe it wasn’t the human who was chasing after Rose. Maybe it was Pearl.

Her breath was shaky when she remembered to breathe in. tears ran unhindered down her nose. Not that it mattered. Rose wouldn’t be back until sunrise. She could be here in peace. She pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle any noise. It wouldn’t do for Amethyst to return from her own humans and hear her. As it was, Pearl was tucked into the darkest corner of the cave. 

Maybe she should just leave, wait out this humans life. He wasn’t going to leave, and Pearl recognized that now. Maybe it was her turn. She could come back in just a few scant decades, full of stories for Rose. The thought of leaving Rose’s side, even for that amount of time, even when she was beginning to feel Rose didn’t want her there anymore, made her feel sick. 

She froze at the sound of footsteps. Voices soon followed. Rose’s beautiful laugh. The laugh that made the stars twinkle and gave the sun it’s very warmth. Then she heard Greg’s voice, and the lightness that had entered her core died. She scooted back more, not wanting Rose, or especially Greg, to see her like this. Her back pressed hard into the rough rock, and she was still, not even a breath, so as to blend in. 

“Oh man, Rose, Mr. Smiley is never going to forgive you for wrecking that game.” Rose laughed again as they came into view. Pearl’s jaw tightened when she saw their intertwined hands, the way that Rose was looking at him, the tenderness that used to be just hers. “You’re sure you have to go?”

“I’m afraid so,” she said. She turned, reaching her hand to touch his face, and how her back was to Pearl. “I will see you tomorrow, for the child celebration. Maybe Garnet and Pearl will join.”

Pearl wrinkled her nose. If Greg was going to be there, she would stay in her room, under the fountains. 

“Alright then, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Rose bend down, and Pearl closed her eyes, looking away. She swallowed stiffly, her hands clenched together. After a few beats where no words were said, Greg’s voice came again. “Okay, I love you.” She heard Greg’s shoes against the ground as he walked away. She turned her head and watched as Rose walked to the temple door, her gem glowing its beautiful pink. 

Pearl was to her feet in an instant, running out of the cave. Greg hadn’t made it far, still walking to her right, so she turned to her left and continued running. Tears still came to her eyes, but she shook all thoughts from her head. She just needed to put distance between herself and the temple. She stopped, looking back at the hand that held the warp pad. She bit her lip for a second before doubling back and making her way up the hillside and to the top of the temple. She hastily climbed down, uncaring about the mistakes, the times her foot slipped or the scrapes she was getting. Finally, she was close enough, and she jumped, landing on the hand. 

The warp pad activated. Pearl was still crouched from her jump, looking up as Rose Quartz looked down. Pearl clenched her hands, taking in short breaths to stop the tears from coming yet again. “Garnet said I would find you here,” Rose said gently. She sat, crossing her legs, looking at Pearl, thought Pearl wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Talk to me, Pearl.”

One glance at Rose was all it took. The concern, the confusion, the hurt on her face was more than Pearl could take, knowing it was she who had put it there. She folded her legs under herself, clasping her hands in her lap and looking down. “There’s nothing for me to say.”

Silence. No words exchanged, but five thousand years was a long time to get to know someone, and Pearl knew Rose wouldn’t take that answer. Rose shifted onto her hands and knees and crawled over to Pearl, never losing eye contact. Her hand touched Pearl’s cheek, but Pearl withdrew quickly. Rose snapped her hand back as if she hand been burned, eyes widening and mouth dropping open. “Pearl?”

Pearl squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath. “It’s nothing you’ve not heard before. I don’t like him. I want him gone. You want him here.” Her eyes traveled to Rose’s face. I’m never going to be enough, she wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t leave her lips. 

Rose frowned. “Pearl, I’m always going to love you,” Rose said. It was a tired dance, and Pearl hated the steps, this conversation. 

“I’m always going to hate the others,” she said. She stood, taller than Rose, if only just, and stalked toward the warp pad. “I’ll be back, don’t worry.” The warp pad activated before Rose could continue, and Pearl found herself running again, just in case she was followed, but the warp pad never activated.

She returned the next day, finding everyone getting into Greg’s van. They called to her, asked her to come, but she had no interest in celebrating any human customs. She shook her head, muttering something about training, and walked into the temple.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, I'd love to know your thoughts.


End file.
